Urge The University of British Columbia to Disclose Information about
Their Laboratory Animals

The University of British Columbia (UBC), one of the largest
bio-medical campuses in Canada, that you demand transparency
about the tens of thousands of animals they experiment on. Until
now, there has been NO transparency, the public is in the dark
about what goes on in their labs.

UBC is one of the largest bio-medical campuses in Canada.
Each year, UBC’s Animal Care Center (ACC) distributes some
100,000 animals, including cats, pigs, mice, rabbits, rats,
non-human primates and others to dozens of UBC-affiliated
research projects. According to the Canadian Council on Animal
Care (CCAC) most recent data, the numbers of animals used in
“science” in Canada have risen steadily, with nearly 2.3 million
animals in 2008, up from less than 1.8 million in 1998. As the
home of a rapidly expanding industry of animal experimentation,
UBC is at the forefront of this trend.

Experiments in Canada are divided into five different
“Categories of Invasiveness.” In 2008 nearly 800,000 animals –
including cats, pigs, and non-human primates – across Canada
were exposed to experiments that caused “moderate to severe
distress or discomfort.” Additionally, more than 100,000 animals
were subjected to the highest level of invasiveness, involving
“severe pain near, at, or above the pain tolerance threshold of
unanaesthetized conscious animals.”

Most notable, has been the continued use at UBC of non-human
primates in neurological experiments. The rhesus macaque, an
Asian species, has been used extensively in Parkinson's disease
research. The monkeys are typically subjected to brain damage
that models the degenerative disease and then treated with
various methaphetamine and electroconvulsive shock therapies.*

*Sources: UBYSSEY, January 25, 2008, "Cruel Intentions?
Animal Testing at UBC”
CCAC Table II: Number of Animals Used in 2008 by Participants in
the CCAC Program according to the Category of Invasiveness
<http://www.ccac.ca/en/Publications/New_Facts_Figures/definitions/definitions_index.htm>

LACK OF TRANSPARENCY

Despite the extensive research UBC is performing on animals,
the university, as well as the CCAC – the agency that oversees
research on animals – has provided little information about its
activities. In fact, the public is largely in the dark about
UBC’s experiments on animals, even though much of the research
is funded by taxpayers, student fees, alumni gifts, and private
donations. Though the CCAC conducts assessments of UBC’s
research to ensure UBC complies with CCAC voluntary guidelines,
those assessments have not been made public. Nor has critical
data about UBC’s research on animals or details of procedures
used on animals been released. In short, there is little
transparency at UBC, giving the impression the university
doesn’t want the public to know what is happening to animals
behind closed doors.

SAMPLE LETTER TO UBC PRESIDENT TOOPE

Dear UBC President and Vice-Chancellor Stephen J. Toope:

I understand UBC conducts extensive research on a variety of
animals, including pigs, rats, non-human primates, cats, mice,
rabbits, and other animals. Much of that research is funded by
the public, through taxpayer dollars, student fees, alumni
gifts, and private donations. Yet, few are aware UBC experiments
on animals and that some of the procedures used are highly
invasive and painful.

UBC – a public institution that promotes critical thinking,
debate, transparency, and freedom of speech – has been less than
forthcoming about its research on animals. But the public has
the right to know about such research. Many, like me, vigorously
oppose vivisection because we find it ethically at odds with our
values of compassion and of highly questionable scientific
merit.

Information about UBC’s animal research and decisions by its
Animal Care Committee should be made widely available so that
prospective students, current and potential donors, and the
public can make informed choices about whether to support UBC.
As you may know, the US has a far more transparent system.
Information, data, and reports about animal research are posted
at website databases through the National Institutes of Health
and the US Department of Agriculture. With that in mind, I urge
UBC to post the following information online:

Assessment reports of UBC by the Canadian Council on
Animal Care from 2000-2009, including records of
non-compliance and violations issued by the CCAC to UBC, as
well as UBC's responses to those assessment reports

Veterinary care and necropsy reports on animals at UBC
for 2000-2009

Data on the number of animals used annually in research,
teaching, and testing at UBC for 2000-2009. Data should
include numbers of animals used by species, category of
invasiveness, and purpose of use.

Copies of animal use protocols by UBC animal researchers
and instructors for 2000-2009

Photos, videos, and other recordings of experiments
conducted on animals by UBC researchers and instructors for
2000-2009

Finally, I urge UBC to pursue alternatives to research on
animals as other universities have done and ultimately end all
research on animals. I look forward to your response. Thank you.

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